Acadia Constitution
The Constitution of Acadia Preamble We, the government and members of Acadia, do establish this Constitution as the supreme law of the Alliance, and the foundation of all future laws. Article 1 - Acadia Acadia is a merger of several smaller alliances seeking a new and bright future together. The guiding principles of Acadia are government responsiveness to the members, economic and political success for all members. Article 2 - The Government The Government of Acadia is tasked with the responsible management of the Alliance's affairs, both foreign and internal. The Government shall consist of two components; the High Government, and the General Government. : Article 2.1 - The High Government The High Government of Acadia shall consist of two positions that possess equal power; the Executive Officer and the Operations Officer. The duties of the High Government shall include; approving treaties, declaring war, appointing ministerial positions, and all other powers that have not been otherwise delegated either in this Constitution or by future law. : Article 2.2 - The General Government The General Government shall consist of Ministers, who are directly subordinate to the High Government. Ministers can either be without portfolio, or be at the head of a Ministry. A minister without portfolio is still considered a full member of the Government, despite them having no official title. The ministries shall be as the follows: the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,and the Ministry of Defense. Ministers with portfolio can appoint deputy ministers at will, though the High Government can remove deputies if the situation so dictates. :: Article 2.2.1 - The Ministry of Finance The Ministry of Finance is responsible for managing the Alliance bank, monetary growth programs as well as the management of Alliance resources in peacetime. :: Article 2.2.2 - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with establishing and maintaining economic, military, and political links with other alliances. The Ministry of Foreign affairs is also responsible for maintaining and moderating the communication channels of the Alliance which include, but are not limited to forums, IRC, and Discord. :: Article 2.2.3 - The Ministry of Defense The Ministry of Defense is responsible for the protection of the members of the Alliance from aggressive acts from other alliances as well as attacks by raider or rogue nations and may use any means to achieve this short of unilaterally declaring war, including consulting with allies or other friendly alliances if required. The Ministry of Defense shall also be responsible for the mobilization and coordination of nations in the case of an offensive war declared by Acadia, or a defensive war declared against Acadia. In wartime the Ministry of Defense shall be responsible for managing the finances of the Alliance with the cooperation of the Ministry of Finance if so requested. :: Article 2.2.4 - The Ministry of Internal Affairs The Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for the recruitment of new members to the Alliance, as well a ensuring that every member has access to information regarding game mechanics, proper nation builds, and other strategy, be that through the creation and maintenance of game guides, mentoring of new nations, or other methods. In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs shall be responsible for maintaining forums, in-game announcements, and other forms of alliance strategy and communication outside of chat rooms. In both war and peacetime, the Ministry will coordinate member organization and activities with the Ministries of Defense and Finance. : Article 2.3 - Governmental Line of Succession In the case in where either the Executive Officer or the Operations Officer are unable to continue to serve the remaining Officer shall chose an interim Officer until a suitable replacement can be appointed and voted upon by the General Government. Such approval can be granted by a ⅔ vote by the General Government. In the case where both Officers are unable to serve, the General Government will appoint an interim Executive Officer within five days. : Article 2.4 - Removal of a Government Member A general member may propose a vote of no confidence with a co-sponsor (present government official) or a minister in the current government may make the same proposal by themselves. In order for a vote of no confidence to succeed it must garner 2/3 of the votes polled by government officials and 2/3 of the votes polled by current full members. : All no confidence votes start with a poll from government officials. If the necessary 2/3 majority is obtained, the government official is suspended from their duties pending a poll of the membership. If the necessary 2/3 majority is obtained among the voting membership, the government member is removed from office. Article 3 - Amendments Whenever a member (aside from High Government) formally proposes an amendment to the constitution of the alliance, the proposed amendment undergoes the following process: : 1. A period of discussion and potential revision lasting no more than 5 days shall take place. During that time, the proposed amendment can be revised by its author based on feedback from other members. : 2. Subsequently, if at least three members of the government (High Government and General Government) agree to sponsor the proposed amendment, it is put to a vote of the membership. : 3. A voting period of 3 days (72 hours) shall be held on the proposed amendment. If the amendment has the support of 2/3 of the membership of Acadia, the proposed amendment becomes part of the constitution. The constitution can also be amended through the following process: : 1. A member of High Government proposes an amendment to the constitution of the alliance. A period of discussion and potential revision is held within the government regarding the amendment. : 2. If the amendment has the support of 75% of the government (High Government and General Government), the proposed amendment becomes part of the constitution. Article 4 - Judiciary The judiciary system helps to ensure that rights of all members are guaranteed and that Acadia members are never subject to arbitrary or capricious punishments. Rules and regulations within Acadia can be written into the charter (alliance level), created by the High Government, or created by the ministers (ministry level) In all cases, the rules and regulations apply to all members, regardless of status. Due Process regarding membership status: No member shall be deprived of their membership in Acadia without due process. Due process as defined by this charter includes the right to present evidence on their own behalf to the High Government and to call witnesses who can testify to their innocence. In all cases, the High Government makes the final decision regarding the final revoking of membership status or the involving of a lesser punishment. For all other judicial matters, any member of government can charge a member with a violation of rules and regulations. Violations of ministry level rules and regulations are judged by the appropriate minister. In cases where the appropriate minister is making the charges, another minister may serve as judge. Punishments at the ministry level should be appropriate and proportionate to the offense. Members have the right to appeal any punishment to a member of the High Government, who may let the punishment stand, reduce the punishment, or overturn the punishment completely. Violations of High Government rules and regulations are judged by a member of the High Government, with the other member acting on all appeals. Violations of the charter and its amendments are judged by the Minister of Internal Affairs, with the High Government hearing all appeals. ''Alliance Level Offenses '' The following enumerated violations constitute a violation of the Acadia Charter: : Spamming: Spamming, the posting of advertisements for OOC products and services, is prohibited in Acadia forums, Discord channels, and alliance announcements. : Espionage: Spying on fellow Acadia member nations is prohibited. Spying on non-Acadia nations is prohibited except in time of war or as authorized by a member of government. : Treason: Attacking another Acadia nation in good standing, publishing of confidential alliance information in a public forum, or conspiring with other alliances against Acadia constitutes grounds for dismissal from the alliance. Additional punishment may also be imposed at the discretion of a member of High Government. : Accepting Applicants Under ZI Listing: No nation on any alliance's ZI (Zero Infrastructure) list shall be accepted for membership without the express written consent of a member of High Government. : Computer Crimes: The following are considered to be computer crimes within the Acadia: hacking the alliance forums for any reason, hacking the alliance in game for any reason, refusing to surrender roles and/or permissions to the alliance forums or the alliance in game in a timely fashion, editing another member's forum profile in an attempt to embarrass or demean them. Those guilty of computer crimes are subject to punishment by the alliance government as the Minister of Internal Affairs and the High Government sees fit. : Limitations on Free Speech: The right to free speech as may be outlined elsewhere in the charter does not protect speech that a reasonable person would consider: sexual or other forms of harassment; demeaning or derogatory toward one's heritage, culture, age, gender, or sexual orientation. Speech that is considered harassing, demeaning, or derogatory should be brought to the attention of the Minister of Internal Affairs or a member of High Government so that it can be addressed. Category:Historical Documents